It feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day. Or days in the week. Stuff needs to be done everywhere I look, and there are so many distractions. This is the busiest part of summer, when everything is happening and I can’t do it all. So grateful for beach walks with the dogs, quiet time in the garden, and Alley’s front porch.
There’s something about sitting on that bench with Shirley, Jenny, Ellen, Mike, and whoever else happens along, just watching the world go by. Last week Jenny brought her golden retriever puppy, Dory, along in her truck. Seeing her was a treat. She has a pale stripe up the center of her golden nose and has the sweet, eager enthusiasm young goldens are noted for.
Of course, Mike is smitten with her. We look at our Talley and Nanuk, now 13 and 10, their white faces and stiffening hips mimicking our own.
If you need a quiet respite from summer, take an hour to attend an Interfaith Community Meditation of Peace this Friday, August 12, 4 to 5 pm at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital chapel. All are invited to share “peace, poetry, dance, song, and silence.”
The West Tisbury First Congregational Church is getting ready for its 8th Annual Peach Festival this Saturday, August 13. Stop by between noon and 4 pm for the most delicious fresh peach ice cream, smoothies, cobblers, shortcakes, pies, and parfaits. There will be activities for kids, a raffle to win a Summer Pearl peach tree, and jam and other goodies to take home.
Rev. Cathlin Baker will spend the next two Sundays preparing the congregation for her upcoming sabbatical. The Rev. Terry Newberry, who will serve as interim minister during her absence, will join her in the pulpit on August 21. A special guest that same Sunday will be Mark Miller, a friend of Cathlin’s, and minister of music at Christ Church in Summit, N.J.
Nancy Cramer invites you to a Shaw Cramer Showcase of her handmade designs this Saturday, August 13, 11 am to 3 pm, at her home at 38 Looks Pond Way off Music Street. Nancy makes tunics, coats, vests, and jewelry, all beautiful and very stylish. There will be lemonade and a view of the wildlife on Looks Pond, too.
The West Tisbury library is always full of activity. The Mac Pro is available for drop-in advice every Friday and Tuesday, 10 am to noon. There will be an ice cream social with music by Vineyard Sound on Saturday, August 13, 4 to 5 pm. The library is closed to the public on Sunday, but the Martha’s Vineyard Modern Quilt Guild will be there from 9 am to 4 pm for their monthly all-day quilting retreat. On Monday, August 15, bring your laptop, iPhone, or Kindle to learn about eBook technology and accessibility through CLAMS. These sessions will be held every Monday, 3 to 5 pm, through August. Monday Night Movies begin at 6:30; this week features “Zootopia” and “Creed” with free popcorn. On Tuesday, August 16, come to yoga for teens and tweens at 10:30 am; Martha’s Vineyard poet laureate Arnie Reisman will read from his new book, “Sodom and Costello” at 5 pm; and the Martha’s Vineyard Community of Mindfulness will meet at 6 pm. On Wednesday, August 17, Martha Hubbell will teach teens and tweens to make votive candles at 4 pm (you need to pre-register at the front desk) and David Barton-Smith will discuss his new book, “Power to Heal: Civil Rights, Medicare, and the Struggle to Transform America’s Health Care System,” at 5 pm.
The League of Women Voters will host a candidate forum on Wednesday, August 17, 4:30 pm, at the Grange Hall. Twelve candidates are running for the vacant seats of state senator Dan Wolf and state representative Tim Madden, who are retiring this year. This will be an opportunity to meet the candidates and hear their views on issues important to us.
The state primary will be held on Thursday, Sept. 8, at the Public Safety Building. If you aren’t registered to vote yet, go to town hall to see town clerk Tara Whiting or register online at registertovotema.com.
Rez Williams and Lucy Mitchell stopped by the gallery on Saturday afternoon with a gift of the most delicious small cucumbers called Diva, and time for an art chat. We talked about Lucy’s and her sister, Julia’s, show at the A Gallery, one of the most profound and beautiful exhibitions I have ever seen. We talked about Rez’s preparations for his upcoming show, also at A Gallery. Then we went on to our gardens.
I have been thinking it might be time to give up my attempts at vegetable gardening, more my illusions about being a New England wife who grows her family’s food, freezes and preserves enough to last through the winter. I’m a total failure. Rez mentioned an earlier conversation with an older friend who has recently come to a similar conclusion. “But she’s in her eighties,” I moaned. “I’m only 66.” Rez quickly countered with, “Kick back earlier and enjoy it longer.” I’m still thinking.
Mike came home the other day and reported that West Tisbury policeman Brad Cortez followed him as he was leaving a smoke alarm call to tell him he had a tail light out. No big deal; he’s already replaced it. But my initial reaction upon hearing this story was to say, “And you’re still alive.” It seems incomprehensible to us that Danny or Skipper or Garrison or Brad or any police officer we know would escalate a “no big deal” situation into shooting and killing someone. I know I am naive and inexperienced about the rest of the world. It is appalling to think that the way we live in West Tisbury is unreal to much of the rest of the country, our own country. I feel grateful not to understand, but also immeasurably angry and sad.